46 Epilogue 43




 The manticore on the ground shows no sign of moving any further.
 He's down. .......
 Now Anna won't have to die .
 He breathed a sigh of relief and patted his chest.
 The poison isn't bad.
 The magic is slowly breaking down the toxin and working its way through.
 I didn't think this would happen, but this is a happy miscalculation.

Revell!

 Anna came running to me.
 She had a small boy, Kyu, in her arms.
 Kyu was asleep, perhaps tired, with his eyes closed.

Are you okay? Are you hurt somewhere?

...... I'm okay with it, but what about Anna?

I'm fine!

Don't lie to me. Your head is bleeding.

This will go away in a minute.

...... Yeah. Well, it's okay if you're okay.

Yeah. More importantly, who the hell is this kid?

 Anna's gaze turns to Kyu, who is holding it.

"...... Kyu?

 When he woke up a little, Kyu squealed in reply.

"My name's Kyu. For a lot of reasons, you're my squire now.

I'm sorry. I'll give her back to you now, Kyu-chan.

 I took the cue from Anna and put it on my head.

What, you're going to put it on your head?

Yeah, apparently, Kyu likes it on top of his head.

I see. I see, Kyu-chan is a good girl. She got me fighting again.

That's good. I'd be in a lot of trouble if it wasn't for Anna and Kyu.

'I'm glad to be of service to you! But more importantly, that was a hell of a last shot from Revell! I never thought I'd be able to take that monster down in one hit! What? Why is Revell here in the first place!

 A lot of questions seem to have surfaced in Anna's mind and she is in a mild state of panic .
 ...... I know how you feel .

'I'm glad you were able to help me and meet Revell, but I'm just curious! I'm sorry for asking so many questions.

You don't have to apologize to me. The final blow...

 I was going to say "rigid sword," but then I remembered that message.
 I wonder what it was that led him to create his original skill.
 Maybe I improved the rigid sword, but they must have thought it was something I invented on my own.
 My father said he invented the Demonizer by himself, so when you learn a new skill that you've never had before, it might be considered a new skill.
 According to Wisdom, it seems that when a new skill is created, the message "I have created an original skill" can be heard.

 There's a short pause, but I reform and answer.

''The final blow is a skill called the Hard Sword Modifier.

 Even though it's an original skill, it was only because I had the "Sword of Steel" that I was able to create it.
 So I thought it would be a good idea to name the skill after it, so I took the liberty of naming it the Strong Sword Kai.

It's a cool and powerful skill! So what's Revell doing here?

The gods have spoken to me. God told me that Anna's in danger.

'Wow, that's really nice of God to do that . He gives us talents and he cares about us humans, doesn't he?

I'm sure it is.

That was an unexpected reunion by the way, wasn't it?

Yeah. But in a little while I'll have to go back to where I came from.

...... I see... Yeah, yeah, .........

 Anna looks forlorn.
 I felt the same way.

...... It's good to see Revel's face after all these years.

Yeah, me too.

''But seeing Revell today, I'm sure of it. Revell is stronger than anyone in the Heroes' Academy.

I'm glad to hear it.

 It's a little premature to judge that, but it's good to know that Anna thinks so.
 You don't need to be worried that I won't be able to get in.

Revel will definitely be in the upper school, so ...... I'll see you again, right?

 Anna's statement as if to confirm it.
 We all have a need to feel better.

Of course I do.



 I saw that and confidently affirmed it.

...... Good. I'll try to do better from now on. I'll never let Revell win.

I can't be the only one to have you beaten.

 My goal is to be strong enough that Anna won't have to fight.
 I can't ever tell you this, but the driving force behind my efforts will definitely be to achieve this goal.

Yes! Let's go for each other!

Yeah.

...... Oh, you know what, I need a favor.

Hmm?

It's a good idea to have a good time with your friends and family at ....... ......Ummmmm, let's see, it's been a long time since we've seen each other again, so I'll just say ......... ...i.

 Anna's eyes were down, and she fidgeted with her hands.
 I didn't know what she said at the end, so I asked her back.

"Are you going to make me say it again?

 Anna is puzzled, but she didn't hear me, so it can't be helped.
 I'll do Anna a favor for as long as I can.

Yeah, I didn't hear you.

I'd like you to go to ...... and squeezed it.

 Anna looks shyly up at me with her eyes.

'...... I don't care if you don't want to! I'm sweating a little right now, and I'm dirty! I'm sorry for being so weird!

 I guess she got nervous, and then she started to say some strange things.
 I reached out and grabbed Anna's left and right arms.

'What? What? !

How could I not?

 Then I took Anna into my arms.
 Then she hugged me tighter.
 We held each other in silence for a while.

Are you happy now?

...... Yeah. I can try again.

Me too.

 I let go of Anna's arm and grains of light enveloped my body.

'It's like it's time to say goodbye.'

I see. So, I guess I'll see you again in three years?

Yeah.

'...... Yeah! All right! Take care!

 She was going to miss him, but she tried not to let her feelings show on her face.
 I thought it was a sign of her determination and kindness.

Yeah, take care of yourself.

 Then I was transferred and found myself in my room at the inn.

...... Oh, I'm tired.

 I fell into bed and fell asleep.



 .



 It seems I was asleep for three whole days when I rescued Anna.
Everyone was happy when I showed up at The Tempest.
 They were worried sick about me.
 And things have changed at The Tempest.

 It's different. It's more crowded now.

What do you think?

 I look around the guild and Ral confidently says.

''It's pretty crowded out here.

Yes, we need to increase the number of guild members first. We've got a lot of business to start.

Oh, wow.

I've opened up shop for tools and armor to make it easier for adventurers to visit. I've also decided to set up a tavern and inn, so that there will always be people around. The guilds are huge for nothing in Tempest. I didn't have any trouble finding a place at all.

'I see, so that's why it's so crowded: ...... hmm? You need people and stuff to keep your store open, right? What's up with that?

I made the initial investment in that area myself. I still have quite a bit of personal wealth.

Are you okay with ......?

Yes, I'm sure it will work.

You're good.

 I guess my fears were unfounded.

Speaking of which, while Revell was sleeping, some interesting news hit the airwaves.

 Lal handed me a piece of paper.
 Apparently there was a story on it.
 Its title was written openly.


"Eijie Academy middle school freshmen single-handedly defeated the S-ranked monster Manticore.


 ...... I see.


 After I transitioned, no matter how Anna explained it, they'd think I'd defeated the manticore alone.
 My expectations of Anna must have been pretty high.

''That's great~. A first year in middle school is about our age, right? Maybe he's Revell's favorite child.

...... hahaha, maybe so.

 I smiled dryly at Lal's astute observation.